A world without you
by BloodstainedMelody
Summary: What would have happened if Elliot hadn't come to Fianna's house that day? What would become of poor Leo?
1. Chapter 1

The Grandfather clock in the far corner of the crowded sleeproom sounds softly, four times the air is pierced with deep chimes before quieting down, slipping into its regular _tick,tock_ just like a steady heartbeat in the dark. Leo found a small comfort in the noise, if he focused hard enough, the whispers in his head would quiet down slightly. The voices were particularly loud at night when it was quiet, with no other noise to drown them out, sometimes the noirette was forced to listen to them. They told him strange and sinister things, they told him about Abyss, the twisted dimension tied to this world like a shadow. It didn't make sense to him, nothing they told him did, and that made it even worse, listening to snippets of sound that didn't have any meaning. But it wasn't the voices that had him up. Oh no it was much worse, today was Leo's sixteenth birthday, the day he became a man. He wouldn't be able to stay at the orphanage.

The noirette laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling through his thick bangs. His gut was twisting nervously and anxious thoughts running through his head. _Will I be able to find a job? What if I can't? I'll be left to wither and die on the streets alone... _

An hour before a nun was scheduled to wake the children, Leo got up, grabbed a change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom, wanting to wash before anyone else. He filled the tub with steaming water and stepped inside. It was too hot, causing his skin to prickle and turn pink. He scrubbed every inch of himself with a bar of soap, and then his hair. The noirette then laid in the water, closing his eyes and let himself float, he wanted to stay there forever, suspended in water, free of the world, free from everything. A sharp knock on the door brought him back to reality.

"Leo? Leooooo are you in there?" A voice whined as the doorknob rattled "C'mon hurry up I gotta pee!"

With a sigh the noirette got out of the tub and dried himself off with and itchy towel. He slipped into the change of clothes he had brought and then paused to examine himself in the mirror. Purplish blue shadows hung under his dark eyes from lack of sleep and his hair was a tangled mess. Sighing again Leo opened the door made his way towards the dinning room.

He picked at the oatmeal in his bowl, dragging the spoon through the brown mush. Normally, a hot bath in the morning would clear his mind, but today it was filled with troubled thoughts and insistent whispers.

"You going to eat that?" a young boy asked, his eyes fixed on Leo's bowl.

Leo shook his head. "No, you can have it Philippe" he said pushing the bowl towards the child. The noirette knew how little the nuns gave them, not ever did they give out second helpings, might as well not waste.

"Thank you!" Philippe cried happily "Oh and Helen has your present, we all chipped in to buy it, but she wanted to wrap it."

Leo blinked. A present? For him? Yes it was his birthday but he hadn't expected anything more than a quick birthday wish. It made him wonder if the nuns at Fianna's house really did care about him, perhaps he wasn't just another orphan come and gone.

"Thank you" Leo said softly, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Leo? Are you done with your breakfast?" A voice called.

Turning around he saw it belonged to Sister Fianna, the oldest nun at the orphanage. Leo had never liked her, she reminded him of an old crotchety grandmother that didn't enjoy the company of children. She was stern and didn't hesitate to give you a sharp smack if you misbehaved.

The old nun raised a hand and beckoned the noirette. He stood and made his way towards her.

"Yes Sister?" He asked politely.

"A carriage is scheduled to arrive in half an hour, I contacted a man in Reveil who said he would give you a job. Please make sure you have all of your things packed and ready to go, tardiness is not acceptable." She said, her tone serious.

Leo nodded "Yes Miss"

The nun smiled, "I hope things go well for you Leo" she said, then she pulled a small box shaped object, wrapped in old newspaper out from behind her back, and handed it to the noirette "And happy birthday child"

...

Leo sat staring out the window of the carriage, watching the ruins of Sablier pass by. The farewell had been a teary one, which surprised the noirette, he didn't think his existence had such a great impact on the other orphans, but they had cried and told him that they would miss him playing piano, and reading to them.

The only thing to remind him of Fianna's House now were the two presents sitting on his lap, and the old and battered valise that Sister Fianna had lent him filled with ill fitting clothes and his toothbrush.

For the first time since stepping into the carriage, the noirette truly felt alone, he had never been outside of Sablier except when he had first arrived and on occasion when one of the sisters would have an errand to run and he had accompanied, but that rarely happened, since the nearest town Reveil, was quite far away, most of the time, food and clothes were usually brought directly by the Nightrays.

Wanting to distract himself, Leo turned to his unopened birthday gifts. He opened the orphans present first, tearing the paper away to reveal a book, it was brand new, the pages crisp and white, no stains of folded corners like the used ones in the orphanage's tiny library. The book was titled "Holy Knight" and an ornate crest adorned the blue cover. As the noirette flipped through the novel, a folded piece of paper slipped from its pages and fell to the carriage floor. Curious, he set the book down and picked up the paper, on one side had the words "Happy Birthday Big Brother Leo" scrawled in messy crayon. On the inside it said "We hope you like the book we got you, cause we know how much you like to read. P.S we are all going to really miss you so come visit us please.", stick figures and flowers were drawn all over the card. Leo felt his chest grow tight. A warm feeling seemed to fill his body, but it ached too, it ached knowing it would be awhile until he saw the orphans grinning faces.

"I'm going to miss you too" Leo whispered to himself smiling sadly.

The next gift, the one Sister Fianna had given him was an ornate ink pen. Swirling silver designs were inlaid into the ebony barrel and cap. The shiny nib came to a fine point. There were three replacement ink cartridges inside the box the pen originally came from. The noirette turned the pen in his hands, fingers tracing over the delicate designs. It was obvious the nun had spent a large sum of money for his gift, the craftsmanship was masterful. He set the pen back in its box carefully and read the note Sister Fianna had left.

It said: Dear Leo, you and your lovely music will be greatly missed by the entire orphanage, you have a talent you know, and I would hate to see it go to waste. I hope you find use for this pen and continue to compose beautiful pieces. I wish you the best of luck with your new life.- Love Sister Fianna.

Leo blinked, the nun had seemed so cold and gruff, he found it hard to believe she had gotten him such a lovely gift. But there it was, sitting on the noirette's lap. Leo felt a rush of happiness.

"Don't worry Sister" Leo murmured quietly, feeling a sudden rush of exhaustion at the day's events, he closed his eyes and rested his head against the carriage door "I'll come back and visit you, and I'll write you a song, a lovely one, just you wait"


	2. Chapter 2

By the time the carriage lurched to a stop it was almost seven. The streets of Reveil were dark, but still people crowded the streets, most bundled up tightly to keep out the autumn chill. The carriage was parked outside a large brick building with tall smokestacks, they billowed a disgusting plume of black smoke into the already filthy air. The building gave off an ominous air, Leo shuddered.

The noirette got out of the carriage and said a quick farewell to the driver. Leo hefted the valise and made his way slowly towards the entrance of the building.

A sturdy man wearing a dirty and hole filled shirt and trousers was at the door. He regarded Leo carefully.

"So you're the orphan eh?" He said, his fingers drummed against the door frame.

"My name is Leo" The noirette said, gritting his teeth. He was already beginning to feel a deep hatred for the man.

"I never asked for your name, boy" The man spat "Learn some respect for your employers, you'd be begging on the streets if it wasn't for us"

Leo made the wise decision to keep his mouth shut at the remark.

"Anyways, since its your first day, I guess I'll let you off easy" The man continued, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips "Follow me boy, I'll show you around your new home"

The noirette obliged, and walked behind the man. A chill ran down his spine as the heavy door shut; he felt trapped.

The man introduced himself as John Smith, the head supervisor, but instructed Leo to call him "Sir".

The building, it turns out, was actually a cotton factory. Big machinery was lined in rows, children younger than Leo sat at them. They hardly glanced at the noirette as he walked past, their faces were tired, eyes vacant. A sort of fine dust floated around the factory, Leo vaguely wondered if that was healthy to breathe in.

"This is where the cotton is first fluffed" John Smith yelled loudly over the noise of the machines, He pointed to another row of machines "Over there it gets spun into thread"

He continued to point at various machinery and then told Leo what they did. The process of turning raw cotton into thread was complicated, first the cotton had to be fluffed, then it had to be cleaned, rows of children sat at tables sifting through the cotton. From there it carding machines pulled the fibers apart to prepare it for spinning.

Mid-way through John's explanation, a shrill scream sounded above the noise of the machines. Leo spun around and saw a young girl, about the age of twelve pull her hand out from between two heavy gears. Three fingers had been severed, splintered white bone could be seen from the torn flesh of what remained of the girls hand. The girl continued to cry as she clutched her maimed hand to her chest, staining her dress red. A man quickly rushed to her side and ushered her through a door. The screams faded and work continued as if nothing at happened.

The noirette blinked, staring disbelievingly as another child sat at the girls machine and began operating it.

"Damn kids get distracted" He muttered,"Thats the third one this week"

"The third..?" Leo said, eyes wide.

"Yeah it happens all the time" He said waving his hand dismissively "The younger ones are stupid and don't watch what they're doing, serves em right, anyways, thats the whole factory, its a bit late so we won't have you start work til tomorrow morning. Your first shift will be at six."

"In the morning?" Leo asked faintly

"Yes in the morning" The man said rolling his eyes "Now go through those doors, the wooden building outside is where you'll sleep and have your meals."

Leo nodded, and followed the John's directions towards the wooden building. Once inside a woman pointed him down another hallway towards a room. The room was filled with beds, similar to the sleeproom at the orphanage. Most kids were now returning from supper and were getting ready for bed. The noirette ducked his head down letting his messy hair cover his eyes as he wove his way through the room. He found an empty bed and shoved the valise underneath. Sitting himself down on the edge of the lumpy mattress the noirette let his eyes wander. The children mostly kept to themselves, whispering to each other in small groups or just sitting alone by themselves. Most of the younger ones were already asleep. Leo decided to follow suit, he was feeling exhausted. Not bothering to dress into his nightclothes, the noirette crawled under the thin sheets and fell fast asleep.

...

Morning came too soon. Leo awoke to a loud clamor.

"Up you get children!" a voice yelled.

Groaning Leo sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was still dark out, squinting, the noirette could see dark shapes of the other children moving about and getting ready for another day. Sleepily, he changed into a clean shirt and a pair of over sized trousers. After rolling up the ends of his pants Leo followed the other children into the kitchen where breakfast was being served.

The noirette ate everything he was handed, he was famished, after all he had skipped dinner last night and went straight to bed.

When Leo had finished, a young man with a crooked smile introduced himself.

"I'm James" He said, sitting himself on the bench beside Leo. "The supervisor. I'll be showing you how to do your new job."

The noirette nodded. He followed James back the the factory. Inside work was just starting.

James led Leo through another door that let outside, together they walked down towards a loading area, about a five hundred meters away from the factory. There, in the chilly air, boys around Leo's age were lifting the raw cotton and carrying them into the factory.

"This is the job assigned for most boys your age, but its the job requiring the most physical strength" James said as he cast a skeptical glance at the noirette's thin, almost fragile form.

"I can do it" Leo said firmly, " I'm stronger than I look"

James laughed good naturedly,"Alright son. This job is pretty self-explanatory, just follow the other boys. I'll be in the factory if you need me"

James tipped his hat and headed back through the doors.

The noirette watched the boys lift the cotton bales and carry them inside, most of them were wiry and strong. Leo gulped, and took a few steps towards the waiting bales.

"Oi, you gonna work or just stand there?" one of the boys snapped, easily hefting the cotton. " 'Cause you can always work the girls job inside, spinning ya know."

A chorus of laughter followed from the other boys. Leo felt his cheeks grow hot, he bent his head forwards, letting the dark locks cover his angry blush. The noirette reached towards a bale, trying to mimic the smooth motion the other boys had, but in his embarrassment Leo had pulled the bale roughly off the pile instead of easing it onto his shoulder, causing the full weight of the cotton to fall onto his shoulder. Leo stumbled, earning himself a few more snickers. The noirette grit his teeth, the bale was heavy, and he still had to carry it into the factory. He forced himself to take brisk and even steps, determined not to make a fool out of himself once again.

It took the noirette 20 minutes to walk to the factory. By then his arms and shoulders ached. Despite the chilly weather sweat was beading on Leo's brow. He was relieved to finally get rid of the damned cotton. The noirette dropped it into the pyramid of other bales. He felt so light, as if he could float away.

But work had to continue. Leo trudged back to the loading area and again picked up another bale. Soon the noirette fell into a rhythm, his muscles ached to the point of numbness. Then finally, as the sun began to set, a bell rang signaling the end of the shift. Leo fell in line with the other children for supper, ate everything he was given without tasting any of it and fell into his bed exhausted.

Weeks passed, Leo soon got used to the hard work, his form went from thin to wiry. He worked six days a week, from six am to five pm. The children were allowed one day of rest on Sundays, Leo usually spent it inside the sleeproom, either reading or writing. Sometimes he even went out into Reveil, and spent some of his meager pay, mostly on books.

One Sunday, during the month of December, Leo sat on his bed staring out though a window, watching the snowflakes as they fell. Some of the younger children were outside playing in the snow. He smiled, reminded of the children of the orphanage.

Then he heard it, it was a lovely melody, like one of a music box. Leo cocked his head, the sound was faint, was someone playing some sort of instrument?

"Do you hear that?" Leo asked a boy sitting in the bed beside him. "Do you know who's making that noise?"

The boy gave him a quizzical look "What noise Leo?"

"Its like a music box" Leo tried to explain "Do any of the girls own a music box?"

"I don't know..." The boy said, shifting uncomfortably "and I still don't hear anything..."

"But its- Argh never mind" Leo muttered irritated.

The noirette sighed. The melody kept playing over and over, Leo listened to the beautiful sound nobody else seemed to hear. After a few minutes, Leo pulled out his pen and a sheet of paper. The melody was simple, but he could arrange it into something more complex. The noirette started writing out notes, only a few at first, but then more and more, until he had a composition four pages long. After a moment, Leo looked down at the sheet music and frowned, it was too much, it would be impossible for only one person to play it.

"Oh well" The noirette murmured " I guess it will be a duet"

But now he needed a name for the song.

_Cie...La..cie..Lacie.._ The voices in Leo's head whispered.Smilling, the noirette wrote"Lacie" at the top of the page.


	3. Chapter 3

Months pass, soon the trees blossom, signalling that Spring has arrived.

It was morning, again Leo had awoken to a loud clamor and the voice of John Smith instructing them to wake up. Without getting up, Leo stuck a hand under his bed and pulled out his valise. His hand dug around for a bit, looking for a shirt and pants for another days work.

John approached Leo as he was pulling on a shirt

"Leo, you'll be working at a machine today" John tells the noirette.

"But thats a _girls_ job" Leo says scowling.

"Did I say you had a choice?" John growls "You are working a machine and thats final, now hurry up, James is already in the factory waiting for you."

As John stomps out of the sleeproom Leo rolls his eyes. He finished buttoning up his shirt, its too big, like all of the noirette's other clothes. Instead of rolling up the sleeves, Leo just pushed them up and made his way to the factory.

When he arrived, James quickly told him how to operate the machine, pointing at various levers. After he's done explaining, James is gone with a tip of his hat.

Leo sighed and turned on the machine, the gears creaked and clanked, adding to the deafening chorus of the factory.

One of the loading boys spotted the noirette while on his way to the cotton bales.

"What are you doing in here Leo?" A boy scoffed "This is a girls job!"

"I _know_ its a girls job" Leo growled "The boss told me I had to work here for the day."

The boy just chuckled "Liar, you just can't take the hard work."

"Shut up" Leo hissed "its just for the day, leave me alone"

"You're just lazy" The boy snapped.

"Oi! You both have work to do!" James yelled from across the factory.

"Yeah, yeah I'm going" the boy muttered. He gave Leo a shove before walking off to the loading dock.

The push caused the noirette to smack his head against the machine painfully. Cursing Leo turned to throw a punch at the boy- well tried to. His long hair had gotten caught on the gears of the machine. Frantically, Leo tugged on his hair, pulling it free , but the long sleeve of his shirt was snagged by the teeth of the gears. With a shout the noirette desperately tried to free his sleeve, but it was caught, and Leo's arm was being pulled into the machinery's hungry maw.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Leo shrieked, trying to wrench his arm free. But it was too late, with a sickening crack the gears closed on the noirette's arm.

Leo gasped as pain shot up his arm. He could feel a warm sensation drip down his arm, eyes widened when he realized it was blood, _his _blood. The noirette's stomach lurched and he retched.

Then James was beside him. Leo felt the machine come to a shuddering stop and someone helped remove his broken arm from the bloody gears. James was saying something but Leo couldn't hear it over the ringing in his ears. Every time his arm was jostled it sent a fresh wave of pain through the noirette's body. Tears welled in his eyes. Shaking Leo forced himself to look at his arm, it was a bloody mess, where the flesh was broken splintered bone was visible. Leo felt new wave of nausea, then everything went black.

When Leo awoke he found himself laying in one of the many beds in the factory infirmary. The room reeked of strong disinfectant, making the noirettes nose wrinkle. He also noticed that while he had been unconscious someone had set his broken arm in a splint.

"Your arm will heal" A nurse said when she had noticed the noirette wake "But muscles and nerves had been crushed, theres no guarantee that you'll regain full use of your arm."

Leo said nothing as he processed the nurse's words. He tried to flex his fingers gently, but winced as pain shot up his arm.

"Mr. Smith wants to see you" she added "But rest for a minute. I don't want you fainting again."

"I'm fine" Leo scowled, sitting up. He swayed slightly when vertigo hit.

A few minutes later the noirette found himself in front of Smith's office door. He knocked, and heard the answering voice telling him to come inside.

Smith's office was a well organized space. Documents sat in neat stacks on his desk, more files were lined on shelves behind. There was a small bookshelf against the opposite wall, filled with books. But in the middle of the office sat a stool, which looked very out of place.

"You called for me Sir?" Leo inquired.

"How's your arm boy?" John asked, not bothering to look up from his paperwork.

"Its fine." Leo replied.

"How did your arm get broken?"

Leo hesitated, not wanting to rat on the other boy. After a moment he spoke up "I was bumped accidentally from behind when a worker passed, my hair got caught on the gear and when I pulled it free my sleeve caught" The noirette shrugged "It was an accident"

John set his paperwork aside and faced the noirette. "An accident that could have been _prevented_" He said "Your hair is much too long, its not safe, now sit yourself down in that stool and we'll give you a trim."

Leo's eyes widened. If his hair was cut, he would see the golden lights clearly. How could he focus? It was already a nuisance to have the damn voices. "N-no sir, its fine, I'll be more careful next time. I promise it won't happen again"

John sighed impatiently "Its a haircut Leo, don't be so childish"

"Sir please-" Leo protested.

"Shut up boy!" John growled "Or maybe you enjoy working a girls job, is that why you keep your hair so long?" He laughed and reached out to tug a lock of the noirette's hair teasingly.

Leo's patience snapped. Without thinking he threw a punch right at Smith's face, causing the man to stumble and clutch his bleeding nose.

"Why you-" John hissed, his eyes narrowed dangerously "You damn orphan!"

The man tried to throw a punch of his own but Leo saw it coming. He ducked, missing John's fist, and launched himself forwards, shoving his shoulder into John's exposed stomach. The man gasped clutching his gut and doubled over. The noirette gave the man a slight shove, causing him to fall backwards on unsteady legs. Then Leo was on top of him, he had John's arm's pinned under his knees as the noirette threw punch after punch with his good arm at the man who treated him like utter shit ever since he had arrived.

"I HATE YOU!" Leo heard himself scream as his knuckles bruised. John's blood was staining his shirt and hands, but Leo didn't care, he wanted to see more of it.

Strong arms came from the behind the noirette and pulled him roughly off John Smith. Leo felt a strong sting on his cheek as someone slapped him.

"Stop it!" the shrill voice of the nurse screamed "You could have killed him!"

Two men were helping John up.

"He's insane!" John yelled, pointing at Leo "He's bloody insane!"

The noirette was dragged out of the factory and thrown out into the street. His valise followed, accompanied by his pen. The pen shattered when it hit the cobble stones. Leo's eyes widened, staring at the fractured remains of Sister Fianna's gift. The barrel had broken into several pieces, and the ink cartridge leaked, spilling rich blue ink onto the dirty street. It couldn't be repaired. Fist's clenched at Leo's sides, as he shook with anger. In one swift motion he picked a stone off the ground and hurled it at the factory. What would happen to him now? He had lost his home and his only source of income.

With a sigh, Leo picked up his valise and started down the busy street.


	4. Chapter 4

Leo knew his paycheck would only stretch a few more days. In the meantime he had to find a job. The noirette thought it would be smartest if he chose a fairly cheap place of lodging, unfortunately those inns were found in the more shady areas of Reveil. Leo had heard stories, even at the orphanage, of thieves, muggers, and pickpockets. Back then the tales were merely a thrill, nothing they imagined would actually happen, but now Leo had to face the harsh reality. The noirette took a deep breath and set his course for east Reveil.

When he reached the east of Reveil it was almost dusk. People had lit small fires in metal drums and were huddled around them closely, trying to keep out the chill. Beggars sat on the edges of the streets. It was filthy, the cobblestones were streaked with black grime, and a putrid scent made Leo's nose wrinkle.

"Smells like shit eh son?" A voice said.

Startled the noirette jumped. From around the corner of an alleyway a man appeared. He was thin, and his clothes were filthy.

"You don't look like the type of scum that usually resides here" He continued, leaning lazily against the brick wall of the alley. "Are you lost or something boy?"

Leo hesitated, not sure of the mans' true intentions. "I'm just looking for a cheap place to stay" He said finally, fingers tightening around the handle of his valise.

The man nodded "Ah, so you _have _got some money if you plan on payin' for it eh?" There was a glint in his eye that made a shiver run down his spine.

Before Leo could react two men grabbed him from behind. He let out a cry of pain when a hand gripped his broken arm. The man in front of his wrenched the valise out of his hand. Every time the noirette struggled against the men who held him, the hand would twist his broken arm, causing tears to well behind his eyes. He bit his lip, forcing himself not to cry out.

The man in front of him laughed. "God, you sure aren't smart." He began pawing through Leo's possessions. The man quickly decided that the clothes would be worth selling, with a sick smile he pulled out Leo's coin purse, he gave it a small shake before shoving it deep inside his pocket. The one thing the man discarded was the Holy Knight volume that was given to Leo by the orphans at Fianna's house so long ago. The book was tossed at the noirette's feet, bouncing once before landing open on the cobblestones of the street.

Leo shook with anger, struggling desperately against the men who held him. Silent tears spilled from dark eyes, streaking down his face.

After the man had gone through the contents of the valise, he put everything back and shut the lid.

"Alright boys I think we're done here." He said lifting the valise.

Leo heard the men behind him snicker before a feeling of immense pain at the back of his head made everything go black.

...

The damp feeling of rain was what woke the noirette. Blinking groggily, he winced at the throbbing headache. Pressing fingers against his temples in an attempt to relieve the pain, Leo cracked his eyes open . He was still in the alleyway, and there were no sign of the men who robbed him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the Holy Knight volume. The pages had been soaked with rain, making the sheets of paper stick together, it would be unreadable even if he had a way to dry it.

"Damnit!" Leo hissed, clutching the sodden book so hard crescent shaped indents from his nails sported the cover.

Angrily he threw the volume down the alley. Now what? He wondered, what would happen to him now? Leo looked up at the sky, feeling raindrops hit his face, for the first time since he had woken up, he realized just how cold he was. Shivering now, the noirette rose on shaky legs, leaning against the brick wall to steady himself. Leo stumbled towards a sheltered part of the alley, underneath a building's roof overhang. He sat back down, head in his hands, and cried.

...

Two weeks passed. Leo was forced to beg on Reveil's busy streets during the day, and then as night fell he'd fall asleep, curled up in some alley.

One day had been merciless, not a single stranger had dropped coins into the noirette's hand, he sat on the grimy cobblestones, doubled over, clutching his empty stomach. All muscle he had gained working at the factory had disappeared, leaving him thinner than he was before he had arrived. Leo felt hopeless, he didn't want to die this way, not as a beggar. He wrapped the thin, moth eaten and threadbare blanket that he had found a few days ago abandoned in the trash heap around his bony shoulders. His blank stare fixed on nothing as he tried to ignore the hunger gnawing at his backbone.

The sound of heels clacking against cobblestones caused the noirette to look up. It was dark out but he could make out a silhouette of an extravagantly dressed male. The man walked past, but then slowed, and turned back around, this time stopping in front of the noirette. The man bent down and brushed Leo's long bangs out of eyes, Leo was so tired he could just stare at the man's heavily maquillaged eyes and rouged cheeks.

"Oh my~" the strange man crooned, taking the noirette's face in his hands and turning his head to the side

The man pulled his hands away and fixed Leo with a piercing stare " You're a very attractive boy, its a waste to see you wither away on the streets" he cocked his head "But I could offer you a job"

"A job?" Leo rasped.

The man nodded furiously "Yes~~ I won't pay you in cash but I'll give you home and food"

Food, just the word made his mouth water.

"Okay" the noirette said " I'll work for you"

The man smiled "Ohhh I'm so glad~"

The man stepped away and Leo felt strong arms lift him easily, they obviously didn't belong to the strange man, was he a henchman perhaps? Leo wondered before drifting off into sleep.


End file.
